Flagstaff Water Commission moves to study reclaimed-water conservation, form stakeholder work group

The Flagstaff City Water Commission on April 17 opened a multi-month effort to reassess reclaimed-water conservation and prepare for future rate changes, directing staff to form a stakeholder work group and to report back with legal and technical information.

The discussion followed a presentation from Water Services staffer Aaron (last name not specified), who said he was “here to take direction on how to proceed,” and reviewed guidance from a reclaimed-water work group that recommended establishing a reclaimed-water stakeholder group and pursuing water-conservation initiatives now while planning for a future cost-of-service rate study.

The commission framed the topic as preparation for changes in state law that make advanced water purification permissible and for possible future indirect or direct potable reuse. Commissioners said the immediate priority should be reducing summertime peak demand so any future treatment or reuse infrastructure could be used efficiently.

“There was not a tangible target or goal for reclaimed-water usage in terms of acre feet,” said Don (last name not specified), a participant in the prior work group, adding that the group recommended expanding Flagstaff Water Services’ conservation scope to include reclaimed uses and to aim for reclaimed-water usage “as good as or better than the standards defined by the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the fifth management plan work group.”

Commissioners and staff identified three…